Blind Date
by Akira's Shadow
Summary: Ino decides that Sakura needs a man in her life, so she sets Sakura up with a series of blind dates! It's up to Sakura to pick her lover. Who will she choose? AU.
1. First Date

"Sakura, you totally need a boyfriend." Ino announced on the phone.

Sakura sighed and flopped down on her living room couch, muffling her face in a pillow.

"Pig, we went over this already! I don't need a boyfriend!" She groaned.

"Yes, you do! You're just in denial. I swear, you're so stubborn sometimes," Ino huffed, "tell you what, how about a couple of blind dates! I'll set you up with a few charming young men and you'll be free to pick out your lover!"

Sakura sat straight up. "Ino, do you remember the last time you tried to set me up with a boy?"

The phone was silent as Ino was most likely recalling the incident when she had set Sakura up with some sleazy dude who assumed Sakura was "a cotton-candy stripper," and ended up unconscious with a big red handprint on his face.

"Good times… Good times…" Ino murmered.

"INO! Did you hear what I said?" Sakura snapped.

"Wha-? Oh! Yeah, sorry about that. I promise it'll be different this time!" Ino pleaded, "Trust me girl, I have my sources."

"Hmph. Your sources sure sound trustworthy."

"They totally are! I won't let you down, forehead! I'll find you a smoking hot and awesome guy in a flash."

Sakura sighed, blowing a few stray strands of her pink hair out of her eyes.

"Fine, whatever. I'm only doing this because you helped me rub my aunt's feet with lotion for three hours."

Ino cackled. "I knew you'd see the light, forehead."

* * *

Sakura tapped her fingers on the glossy surface of the table, irritated. Her first date of the week and the date in question wasn't even here! She surveyed the coffee shop around her for what seemed like the millionth time and then rested her chin on her hand. When she got her hands on that Ino-pig, she was going to—

"Pardon me, are you by any chance Haruno Sakura?"

Sakura turned around, surprised. She was met with a handsome young man with lustrous dark brown hair and curiously pale eyes. He eyed her curiously, waiting for an answer.

Sakura was too busy gawking at his perfect hair to respond to his question.

The youth stood around awkwardly and contemplated whether he should ask again or not. He snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Um, hello? I kind of just asked you a question?" He said unsurely.

Sakura was broken out of her reverie. "What? Oh, yes! I'm Haruno Sakura! But you could just call me Sakura, okay?" she announced with a large grin.

"Hyuuga Neji. Pleased to meet you." He extended out a hand.

Sakura slapped it straight on. "Yeah! High-five!" she shouted.

Neji stared at her, mouth slightly open. Did that girl just give him a high-five?

"What's wrong, Neji? Sit down!" Sakura gestured to the open seat in front of her.

Neji took a moment to regain his composure and silently took a seat.

Sakura started fiddling with the strap of the clutch she had with her.

Neji cleared his throat.

"So… Sakura, what are your interests?" Neji winced at the generic "first date" question.

Sakura tapped her finger on her chin, eyes trailing up thoughtfully. "Hm, I really like doing things like gardening, and cooking, and working out, and long walks on the beach, and bothering Ino-pig, and—"

"May I take your order?" A waitress from the café interrupted Sakura in the middle of her sentence.

Neji let out a breath, this girl talked a lot.

Apart from looking slightly irritated, Sakura ordered a small cappuccino while Neji ordered a small black coffee. The waitress set off to retrieve their orders.

"What was I saying, again?" Sakura furrowed her brow in an attempt to remember what she had been talking about. "Argh, I forgot!" she huffed.

The corner of Neji's mouth lifted slightly.

"Never mind that," he responded, "where do you go to school, anyway?"

Sakura sat up a little straighter in her seat. "I go to Konoha Medical Institute right now, I'm pursuing a degree in medicine and I plan to become a surgeon in the future," she stated in a rather serious tone.

Neji was impressed. Konoha Medical Institute was one of the toughest schools in Japan.

The waitress came back to Sakura and Neji's table and placed their respective beverages in front of them.

"How about you, Neji?" Sakura asked, taking a small sip from her cappuccino, "what university do you go to?"

"I'm majoring in business management at Suna University, and I plan to open my own business in the future." Neji replied impassively.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Ooh! That sounds pretty awesome, I'll give you that. But I'm curious, what kind of business do you plan on opening?"

Neji cleared his throat awkwardly, eyes shifting side to side. "Erm… Haircare products…" he trailed off quietly.

Sakura spat out the draught of coffee she had taken.

"HAIRCARE PRUDUCTS?" She managed to splutter out before she broke into a fit of uncontrollable giggling. "I have to say," she said between breaths, "it suits you quite well!"

Neji could feel his face grow redder by the second as he flushed in embarrassment.

Sakura wiped a few tears from her eyes and dabbed at the spilled coffee on her shirt.

"Nevertheless, that actually sounds pretty cool." She said good-naturedly, "you can expect me to buy your products in the future!" She finished with a cheeky smile.

Neji managed to let out a grunt in response.

The rest of the afternoon they conversed about miscellaneous topics ranging from things like the recent warm weather in Konoha or whether tomatoes were fruits or vegetables..

"They're totally vegetables!" Sakura had hotly argued, "they're not even sweet!"

"Ah, but they have seeds, which makes them fruits," Neji had countered smugly, his present smirk growing bigger as Sakura huffed in response when she had no retort.

The evening was ended with Sakura and Neji leaving the café and exchanging goodbyes at the front of the café.

"So…" Sakura trailed off.

Neji cleared his throat. "I had a good time," he admitted, "it was fun."

Sakura smiled and gave Neji a hug.

Taken aback, Neji hesitantly wrapped his arms around Sakura until they rested on the small of her back.

Sakura could feel her face warming up as she blushed. Slowly pulling away, she ran her hand through her bangs in an attempt to make sure Neji didn't notice the redness of her face.

Neji gazed at her face for a few seconds, chuckling to himself as she fiddled with her hair, and scribbled down his number on a piece of paper. "Here's my number, call me whenever you feel like hanging out again." He said quietly with a small smile. He then turned away and began walking towards his car.

"Bye, Neji!" Sakura hollered, clutching the paper in her hands and then tucking it into her clutch when Neji drove away.

She headed towards the parking lot, contemplating the afternoon she spent with Neji and wondering what Ino had in store for her the next day.

* * *

Oh, hey!

So this is my first fic, it'd be great if you guys could leave a review :)

Constructive criticism is appreciated, mean comments will result in me slapping you with a ham.

Tell me what you think of it so far, and leave any ideas for pairings you like.

Read and Review :D


	2. Downtown Konoha

"_Beep! Beep!" _The shrill noise of Sakura's alarm clock broke the dreamy haze she was currently enshrouded in.

Muffling a groan, she blindly flailed her right arm around on her nightstand trying to silence the source of the irritating sound. Unsuccessful, she threw her pillow at the annoyance and knocked it off the stand, and flinched when she heard the telltale crash of a now-broken alarm clock.

She sat up, frustrated. "Argh! Now I have to buy a new alarm clock, again!"

Rubbing away the last remnants of sleep from her eyes, Sakura got up and began her daily routine of getting ready for the day. She brushed her teeth, took a shower, and put on a pair of black shorts and an off the shoulder white t-shirt. Running to her small kitchen, she took out some cereal and messily poured it into a bowl, following it with some milk.

As she munched thoughtfully on her Corn Flakes, she went over the events of yesterday in her head. A smile came to her face as she recalled Neji's face when he had told Sakura about his future plans.

She sighed. "His hair's so gorgeous, I swear he looks like a female supermodel from the back."

He was a pretty nice guy, Sakura thought. If Ino knew more guys like him, maybe she knew what she was doing.

Which reminded her, the pig had set up another date for her in Downtown Konoha.

Finishing her bowl, she placed it into her sink and quickly glanced up at her wall clock.

"Oh no! It's ten thirty already?" She gasped in dismay, "Pig told me the date's at 11 o' clock!"

Sakura sprinted back into her room, desperately flinging out clothes from her closet.

"Damn, I have no idea what to wear! I guess I should settle for something simple,"

She decided to go with some dark skinny jeans and pair them with a loose, flowing blouse. Slipping on a pair of white flats, she grabbed her purse and hurried out the door, tying up her hair in a sloppy bun in the process.

As she was fumbling for her keys, she felt her phone vibrate.

Sakura took it out and glanced at the caller ID.

Flipping it open, she balanced it between her ear and her shoulder as she continued searching for her keys.

"Hey, Ino-pig," she said.

"Sakura! Remember, you need to get to downtown by 11, 'kay?"

"I know, Ino, I'm leaving right now." Sakura told her, finally taking out her keys and fingering through them to find the one to open her car.

"You have to hurry, Sakura! Your date's going to meet you at the bookstore next to that pawn shop with the creepy owner, so make sure you get there on time."

"Mmh. I will, don't worry! Now I'm hanging up, I'm about to get in my car," Sakura said, "Wish me luck, Pig!"

"Yeah, whatever. Don't screw this up, I've practically been working my butt off to find top-notch guys for you!"

Curious, Sakura asked, "Where do you find these guys, anyway?"

Ino cackled. "I have my sources. Bye, Sakura!"

"Wait, what's that supposed to mea—" Sakura was interrupted by the dial tone that signaled Ino hanging up on her. "That Pig! I was supposed to hang up on _her!_"

Grumbling to herself, Sakura put the key in the ignition and started driving towards Downtown Konoha.

* * *

At about a quarter past 11, Sakura reached downtown and was frantically scanning the names of the shops while in her car.

"Bookstore… what bookstore? I don't see any goddamn bookstore anywhere! Why am I so directionally impaired?" Sakura groaned to herself. She tried to remember where the pawn shop was that Ino had mentioned, so that she could gather her bearings on where to go. Sweeping her eyes through the streets again, she spotted a tiny sign in a corner that read "Aburame Antiques," and looked right below to see the dinky little pawn shop that Ino had referred to. Sure enough, there was a small, modest bookstore right next to it. Parking on the side of the street, Sakura got out of her car and walked over to the store.

Surprisingly, it didn't seem like her date had arrived yet. She glanced at her watch and noted that it was already 11:30.

"Why are my dates always late? And Ino was making me rush…" Sakura crossed her arms in frustration, "I guess I have no choice but to wait here."

Sakura leaned on the cool glass of the bookstore and casually glanced at the pawn shop next door.

"I don't really remember this place, what did Ino say about the owner?" she wondered to herself. She peered into the dark glass of the store, trying to look past the shelves stacked with various musty-looking objects.

She saw two beady black eyes staring back at her.

"Eek!" Sakura shrieked, jumping back. "Who the hell is that?"

The creepy eyes came closer, and Sakura could see the vague outline of a silhouette. Whoever the man was, he was covered head to toe in a large jacket with a hood obscuring his face. Even the lower collar of his jacket was flipped up, so all that was visible of the man were those two eerie eyes.

The man didn't move. He just kept _staring._

Sakura shuddered. "It's like… his eyes are looking into my soul…"

"Hey, uh, you okay?" asked a voice behind her.

Sakura whipped around. "Oh!" She exclaimed, startled.

A young man was slouched over in a relaxed position, with his hands in his pockets and his shoulder against the glass of the bookstore. His dark hair was tied in a spiky ponytail at the top of his head, exhibiting the kind of carelessness as if he had just gotten out of bed.

He wore the most apathetic expression that Sakura had ever seen.

Scratching his head, he continued. "You look kind of freaked out there,"

"Erm, it was nothing. There's just a really creepy guy in that shop," Sakura replied uneasily.

"Who?" The young man questioned. He craned his head to look behind Sakura, squinting his eyes in an attempt to discern the figure located behind the glass.

"I know who that is!" he suddenly exclaimed. He raised his right hand and waved. "Hey, Shino!"

The man called "Shino" did not make an attempt to exit the store, but merely raised his hand very slowly in acknowledgement.

He was still staring.

Sakura looked between the two in disbelief. "You know him?" she asked.

"Yeah, he co-owns that store with his father. We knew each other back in high school," The man beside Sakura replied indifferently.

Huh. So that's the "creepy owner" Ino was talking about, Sakura thought. Well, he's definitely no charmer.

"By the way, the name's Shikamaru. Are you by any chance Haruno Sakura?" he asked in mild curiosity.

"Yeah! I'm guessing you're my date for today, huh?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah, Ino forced me into it."

Indignant, Sakura spat, "It's not like I'm making you go on a date with me! You can just leave if you want to." She crossed her arms and turned her back him, pouting.

Shikamaru held up his hands in an attempt to placate the angry pink-haired woman. "No, no! That's not what I meant—"

"Then what _did _you mean?" Sakura cut in.

Shikamaru groaned. Women are so troublesome, he thought.

"Look… can we just start over? I didn't mean what I said, no need to get so worked up about it…" he trailed off.

Sakura slowly turned around and glared at Shikamaru.

She kept glaring.

Thirty seconds or so passed, and her expression didn't budge.

Shikamaru began feeling a little uncomfortable. He felt sweat beading his forehead, and tugged at his collar nervously.

Then, Sakura's face suddenly broke out in a huge grin. "Okay!" she said cheerily, turning around and prancing away from the bookstore.

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. Her rapid mood change was pretty bizarre. "This woman is so troublesome…" he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Sakura queried, turning around.

"N-nothing!"

"Alrighty then, lets go!"

* * *

"Just wait till you see the stock of young men I have lined up for Sakura!" Jiraiya beamed.

Ino grinned. "They had better be perfect, because Sakura's needs a man," she rested her chin on her palm, propping her elbow on the smooth surface of the table. "I'm worried she's going to be a cranky cat-lady by the time she's thirty."

Jiraiya, Ino's trusty source, had decided to rendezvous with Ino at the very same café Sakura had her first date with Neji to discuss Sakura's future prospects. It was an ideal meeting area, because it was relatively small but there was a constant babble in the background, preventing any chances of being overheard. Plus, the coffee was pretty good.

"Don't worry Ino, I'm sure the guys I've found are going to be more than able to do the job." A mischievous smile crept onto his face. "Sakura's a beautiful girl, any guy would drop head-over-heels for her. Heh heh heh… maybe I could do some 'research' on her for my next book…"

Ino slapped him upside the head. "Don't even THINK about it, Uncle Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya sheepishly rubbed his head.

"Hmm… actually, it might be a good idea to check up on Sakura's dates…" Ino mused, sipping her latte, "We don't want her screwing up her big chance! I remember when I set her up with a guy back in high school… I think that guy ended up in the hospital when he called her a stripper or something. Funny, I don't really remember who he was,"

Jiraiya jumped up, punching his fist in the air. "What a brilliant plan! THIS SOUNDS FANTASTIC!" Jiraiya rushed out the door in search of his "research equipment."

Ino sweatdropped. "Well, he's gone," She sighed, rubbing her temples. "I'm going to need a day or two to plan this all out…" She then rubbed her hands together, cackling evilly. "Get ready, Forehead, it's time for Ino-Queen to finally play a part in your dates!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Sakura and Shikamaru were casually strolling through the streets of downtown Konoha.

Sakura had a little hop in her step, and she wore a blissful look on her face. On the contrary, Shikamaru's hands were shoved in his pockets, he was slightly slouched over, and his expression remained rather indifferent.

"The weather's nice," Shikamaru muttered, trying to prompt a conversation from the pink-haired girl.

"I know, right? It's beautiful!" Sakura sighed, "This time of year is when the cherry blossoms bloom, I can't wait for the festival to arrive."

"Oh yeah, isn't the festival happening next week?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yup! I'm really excited because it comes once every four years, and I wasn't able to see the last festival," then she added softly, "my mother used to take me to see the fireworks at the end when I was younger."

Shikamaru paused to look at Sakura for a moment. Her expression was gentle, and she had a faint smile on her face.

They continued walking in a comfortable silence.

"So, Shikamaru," Sakura started to say, "What do you like to do?"

"I like to sleep." He replied in a completely deadpan tone.

Sakura sweat-dropped. "You like to sleep? That's all?"

"Yup."

"That's… very interesting."

"I know, right?"

Sakura gave him a withered look. "Anyways, why were you so late to our date today?"

Shikamaru yawned just then, lifting his arms above his head and stretching them out. "What? Oh, sorry. Um, I slept in,"

"You… slept in." Sakura repeated dryly.

"Yeah, it was a pretty nice nap, too. I got woken up by Ino's screaming voice telling my to get out of bed or she would violently smack me upside the head with a banana." He shook his head and muttered, "Troublesome woman,"

Is sleeping all this guy likes to do? Wondered Sakura.

The pair made a turn and entered Konoha Central Park. Since the Cherry Blossom festival was due to start next week, preparations were already underway. Throughout the park, stands were being set up for shops, games, and other amusements. Some were already up and running, calling forth passing citizens to come take a look at their wares. Shikamaru and Sakura walked through the stalls, admiring various trinkets and tasting random foods.

"This is amazing!" Sakura had said with a mouthful of roast duck, "I've never tasted this before!" Shikamaru had continued munching happily on his fried sweet cheese balls.

Eventually, as the two continued along the line of stalls, they reached the area which contained various amusements such as games or street shows. Although not all of the stands were set up, most of them were already fully prepared. Many prized were on display, enticing all those who walked by to try to win them.

"Ooh! Look at that!" Sakura ran up to an extremely large stuffed bunny. She stared at it with wide eyes. "Isn't it so cute, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru strolled up to the stand, not saying anything.

"Why, hello there, ma'am!" a cheery voice called out. Sakura turned, and saw a stout man with a large mustache. He's probably running the stall, Sakura thought. Smiling, the man asked, "Care to try to win that adorable stuffed animal?"

Eagerly, Sakura skipped to the man. "Yes, please! What're the rules?"

The man brought out an object covered with a piece of cloth. He uncovered the object with a dramatic flourish, and revealed a wooden board with a red circle painted onto it. He laid down five smaller metal discs next to the board. "It's simple, really! You just have to cover the red circle entirely with these silver discs!" A sly smile crossed his face. "Would you like to give it a try?"

Sakura pumped her fist in the air. "HELL YEAH! That looks easy!" she slapped down a dollar on the table.

"Careful," the man warned, "once you place the discs onto the circle you can't move them again!"

With a cocky smirk, she started setting up the discs in a random, sporadic pattern. When she had placed four of the discs onto the circle, she frowned. There were two gaps remaining on opposite sides of the circle. "Damn," she muttered.

"Too bad! Do you want to try it again?" The stall owner questioned jauntily.

"Sakura slammed another dollar down. "This time I'm gonna get it for sure!" This time, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, she began arranging the discs a second time, this time in a spiral pattern. When she had place the final disc down, however, there was a tiny sliver of red peering through the boundary of two discs. "Argh!"

"Wow, you almost got it that time!" the stall owner seemed to swell with pleasure every time Sakura messed up on the game.

It meant more money for him, after all.

"AGAIN!" Sakura growled, relinquishing yet another dollar.

She tried two more times, until she gave up. "This is impossible!" She gazed at the stuffed bunny. "I'm sorry Mr. Bunny, but we can't be together!" Sakura began mock-crying in a very dramatic way. "NO MR. BUNNY, YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT FOR ME! WE CAN'T BE TOGETHER! NOOOO!"

The whole time, Shikamaru had been observing the game. It had sounded simple enough, but Shikamaru knew this was not the case. There was math involved in this.

He slowly walked up to the stand. Still pasting an indifferent expression on his face, he placed a dollar in front of the man. "I would like to try." He said tonelessly.

"Well, young man! I trust you've heard the rules, why don't you give it a go?"

Shikamaru stared at the discs for a few moments. Turning to the stall owner, he asked, "Do you mind telling me the measurements of these discs and the red circle?"

The stall-owner's smile fell ever-so-slightly. "Erm, w-well, sure, I guess!" He still had a smile on his face, but it didn't seem as cheerful as before as he relayed the radii of the circles to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru turned back to the puzzle. Closing his eyes for a few moments, he solved a few quick equations in his head. The answer gave him a strategy to play the game.

His eyes snapped open.

He began arranging the discs in a spiral pattern as Sakura had done, but he was doing it in a very slow, calculated way. Sakura had stopped wailing and peered over at him, eyes wide. A crowd had long since gathered around the stall.

Shikamaru took the last disc in hand and meticulously fit it into the last spot, covering the red circle entirely.

The crowd gasped.

"Shikamaru! You did it!" Sakura clasped her hands together. "That's amazing!"

The stall-owner frantically searched the puzzle for any sign of the red circle, but was dismayed when he didn't even catch a glimpse. Smile completely gone, he sluggishly walked over to the bunny, unhooked it, and grudgingly presented it to Shikamaru. "Here's your prize. Enjoy." He muttered.

Shikamaru took the stuffed bunny which was so big that it required two hands to hold, and then turned to Sakura, who was staring at him wide-eyed. "Here," he said, extending the bunny out to her.

Sakura stared at him for another moment and then squealed, running towards him and tackling him in a bear hug. "Thank you thank you thank you SO MUCH!" she said happily.

Shikamaru, who was now on the ground thanks to Sakura's monster hugging skills, was caught by surprise. "Yeah yeah, now get off me," he mumbled. Smiling, Sakura rose and grabbed the stuffed bunny, hugging it to her chest.

She didn't notice the faint blush that tinged Shikamaru's cheeks. "Troublesome woman," he muttered, but the corner of his mouth was slightly lifted in a smile.

"I'm going to take Fluffy with me wherever I go!" Sakura exclaimed, holding "Fluffy" by the hand, "Us two were MEANT for each other!"

Shikamaru let out a chuckle. "Whatever. If you're okay with people thinking you're a psychopath, be my guest,"

Sakura playfully punched him on the shoulder. "I am NOT a psychopath!"

A little kid walked by them just then, and tugged at Sakura's pants. "Excuse me, miss, but are you a bad guy? You look kind of creepy with that bunny doll,"

Sakura spluttered, indignant.

Staring at her flustered appearance, Shikamaru couldn't help but burst out laughing. "I just proved my point!" he managed out between breaths, "Even KIDS are scared of you!"

Sakura was about to give him a good punch right to the face, and then she noticed how nice his laughter sounded. It was a husky, throaty chuckle that couldn't help but make Sakura smile.

In a few moments, Sakura was laughing alongside him as well.

* * *

The sun was starting to set, and Sakura and Shikamaru were once again walking through downtown together.

Clutching Fluffy on her left, Sakura shyly extended her right hand and slowly wrapped her fingers around Shikamaru's.

Startled, Shikamaru glance at her, and saw a faint blush on her face as she stared at the floor. Shikamaru could feel his face getting hot, too.

Feeling bold, he adjusted his hand until his fingers were interlocked with Sakura's. He unconsciously pulled Sakura a little closer to him, and in response, Sakura leaned into him.

They kept walking quietly, until Sakura decided to break the silence. "You know, Shikamaru, you're actually a pretty nice guy." She spoke shyly.

"You're not so bad yourself," he replied, allowing himself a small smile.

Sakura looked up at him and gave him a cheeky smile. "Anyways, how did you win that red spot game?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "It was pretty simple, actually. I just used some math."

"Wow, you must be pretty smart," she said, voice filled with admiration, "I was sure that game was rigged."

Shikamaru chuckled.

They continued walking while holding hands until they reached the bookstore again.

"Well, I guess our date's over huh?" Shikamaru said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

"I guess so." Sakura replied a little sadly, but then she looked up at him and smiled. "I had a lot of fun though. Me and Fluffy won't ever forget that you're the one who brought us together!" She said dramatically.

Shikamaru chuckled again, and then pulled her in for a hug. I had a good time too," he whispered. Sakura could feel her face getting warm. When Shikamaru pulled back, he smirked a little when he saw how red Sakura was.

"Well, I'll see you around, yeah?" Shikamaru said casually, as he started to walk away.

"Yeah," Sakura breathed in response. She watched Shikamaru leave and then slowly turned around, starting to walk towards her car. She froze when she felt a pair of eyes… _those _eyes… staring at her again. She turned, gave Shino a long stare, and then quickly hobbled away from the creepy pawn shop so she could get home.

* * *

Whoooo second chapter DONE!

I know this took me AGES to put up, but this chapter was actually pretty long. And I'm kind of lazy but please don't kill me ok

First day of school was today. I'm tired as hell. It was great seeing my friends again, but I desperately miss my bed, because obviously, I didn't really get much sleep last night xD

Hehehe done with Shika, so suggest some more pairings you guys would like, I'm open to ideas :)

Awww poor Shino, I love little bug-boy but his eyes really are creepy, eh?

The "Red Spot Game" is real, and it's FREAKING IMPOSSIBLE. I tried it at a fair one time, and I almost punched the stall guy when I found out I wasted almost fifteen dollars xD

There's actual math involved in solving it, but it's probably way to complicated for me to understand. Just GOOGLE IT.

That's right. I said "radii" muahaha I feel so sophisticated.

Thank you so much for your kind reviews; Sanma Rin, TeenageCrisis, and 17tangerines, I honestly cannot express how good they felt to read :3

And also, thank you all who have followed/favorited this story, you guys are the best. REALLY.

So yeah, leave a review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Read and Review, y'all :D


	3. Halloween

Sakura nervously tugged at her nurse skirt, fiddling with the edges to make sure it covered an adequate amount of her thighs. The stupid piece of leather wouldn't cooperate; it insisted on showing off as much of Sakura's skin as humanly possible.

"Ugh, this is so uncomfortable," Sakura huffed.

She made a final attempt to pull her skirt down, but exasperatedly gave up when she realized her efforts were useless. Instead, she proceeded to fumble through her various makeup products in search for some lipstick.

Hinata Hyuuga, one of Sakura's good friends in college, was throwing a Halloween party in her father's mansion. Sakura had arrived quite early, along with Ino and Sakura's other friend; Tenten, and all three of them had spent most of the afternoon helping Hinata with the decorations and food. Most of the time, however, they were trying to calm the fretting raven-haired girl.

"W-What if everyone thinks t-the party is boring? What if the f-food tastes b-bad? What if—" She would say, before Ino would have to cut her off with something like: "Calm down, Hinata, this party's going to be a blast!" and then Tenten would butt in: "GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER WOMAN, WE'RE GONNA MAKE THIS THE MOST FUCKING EPIC PARTY IN ALL OF KONOHA!"

Finding the lip color she was looking for, she applied the bright, cherry red to her lips. After she slathered on a generous amount of lip gloss and multiple coats of mascara, she strode out of the bathroom and into Hinata's bedroom, where the three other girls were getting ready.

Ino, who had decided to be a cheerleader, was busy in the mirror fixing a blue ribbon into her hair. Tenten, who was a ninja, was eyeing her numerous weapons with glee, wondering which ones to keep on hand and which ones to hide under her clothes—just in case. Hinata was dressed in a loose silver gown that brought out her pale eyes, and wore the innocent yet phantasmal appearance of a ghostly princess.

As Sakura walked into the room, all three girls eagerly turned around. Of course, they were the ones who had forced Sakura into her costume in the first place.

"C'mon, Sakura, you'll look so hot!" Ino had said slyly.

"Ino… Just look how short the skirt is! And really, does there have to be that much leather? I wouldn't be surprised if people mistake me for a streetwalker or something."

"Stop being such a wuss," Tenten had interrupted in her naturally brusque manner, "it's only a one day thing! I mean, the worst thing that might happen is that you'll get your ass felt up by horny strangers, but you know how to handle that, don't ya?"

At this point, Hinata had turned to Sakura and had whispered very seriously, "Remember Sakura, fingers to the eyes, knee to the groin. You know the routine."

Rather surprised by Hinata's serious statement, Sakura had shrugged and threw the costume into her shopping cart.

And now, Sakura was deeply regretting it.

"Oooooh! Damn, Sakura, you look so HOT!" Ino squealed, pressing her hands together in delight.

"I can't breathe," Sakura croaked, but Ino was oblivious to the pink-haired girl's plight.

With a smirk on her face, Tenten impatiently ushered Sakura towards Hinata's full-length mirror.

Sakura was dressed in knee-high black leather boots, with a creamy expanse of her thighs showing until the view was obstructed by the skirt of her tight leather dress. The dress was red, and hugged all of her curves. A little too much even, for Sakura wasn't having the easiest time breathing. A sheer white lab coat went over the dress, which offered some coverage to her body. And finally, she was wearing a small white hat with a red cross emblazoned on the front.

To sum it up, she was a nurse.

A very, _very, _scandalous nurse.

Hinata and Tenten eyed her appreciatively, occasionally tugging at her lab coat or tucking in some stray strawberry locks of her hair back behind her ears.

Ino placed a hand on her hip. "This party's going to be awesome." Her eyes glittered mischievously as her mind began forming brilliant plans to get Sakura hooked up.

She had appointed Jiraiya as her list-maker, who compiled a selection of all the boys Ino had thought were even slightly worthy to have a chance at her best friend. However, there was no doubt that he was currently neglecting his job as he went off to probably spy on some women.

As if sensing Ino's thoughts, Sakura blatantly stated, "Don't even think about it, Pig. I want a day off from all of this guy stuff."

Ino rolled her eyes.

Tenten, who knew of Sakura's dates along with Hinata, snorted loudly. "As if. Do ya really think that guys are just going to leave you alone while you're wearing _that_?"

Sakura glumly slumped down into a nearby chair. "I hate you guys," she huffed.

"Love ya too, girl," retorted Ino, giving Sakura a triumphant smile. "Now get your ass up so we can get this party started!"

"And you might want to hurry before Hinata passes out…" Tenten added uneasily, gesturing towards Hinata, who was hyperventilating due to the realization that her guests were due in half an hour.

The three girls rushed to their companion to console her for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

* * *

Sakura casually stood on Hinata's balcony, with a glass of red wine cupped in her hand. It was around 11, and she decided to get some fresh air from the party behind her. Everyone came in all kinds of wild costumes, and by now, most of them were either drunk, stoned, or just acting crazy. Many were some combination of the three.

Sakura hadn't consumed enough alcohol to feel tipsy, but she could sense a tingling starting in her stomach.

The DJ duo, Izumo and Kotetsu, were playing a hard clubbing track that made everyone get up and dance. The beats reverberated in Sakura's chest, and she wondered how no one had called the cops on Hinata's party due to the loud music.

Ino was grinding on the dance floor, and Tenten was probably in a corner having drinking contests with huge men, which she usually won.

Sakura glanced behind her, and smiled when she saw blushing little Hinata in her ghost princess costume conversing shyly with her childhood crush, Naruto Uzumaki inside the mansion. The poor girl had almost fainted when the excitable blonde boy had waltzed in with his jail inmate costume and had glomped her with a hug. Sakura giggled at the memory, recalling that Hinata's face, which had turned a bright red.

Sakura had gotten to know Naruto when she was a sophomore in college, and they had grown close from the start. Now, Sakura wouldn't hesitate giving him a good thump on the head if he made an offhand comment about her supposedly large forehead or whenever he committed his usual idiotic deeds.

She was also privy to the knowledge that Naruto had feelings for Hinata, and she did too, in turn. It was a mystery to her why they weren't together yet. She remembered hearing about Hinata's mysterious and super overprotective cousin… she had no idea who he was, though.

She sighed, resting her elbows on the balcony rail while gazing up at the luminescent moon, breathing in the crisp, October night air.

As she was lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice when a bulky male presence swaggered over next to her.

"Hey babe, you busy?" he asked, his voice muffled by the grotesque goblin mask he was wearing.

Sakura didn't respond, she continued to stare at the sky,

"Hey! Sexy nurse lady! I'm talkin' to you!"

"Wha-?" Sakura said, dazed.

As if finally noticing his presence next to her, she turned to face the man.

"Hey pretty girl, whaddya say I get us a few drinks?" The goblin slurred. He was obviously drunk, and his mask was partway off his face, revealing a stubble-covered chin and a few greasy pieces of brown hair.

"No thanks." Sakura replied uninterestedly, waving her wine glass at his face. "I already have one, don't bother."

The man belched. "Then how about... ugh… we get it goin' on the dance floor?"

"No, thanks." Sakura said in a slightly disgusted tone. She set her wine glass on the ledge of the balcony.

The man started inching closer to her, causing Sakura to lean away in turn. She was starting to feel uncomfortable.

As she was starting to smell the alcohol on his breath, her eyes frantically darted around in search of anyone who could help her, but she inwardly groaned when she saw there was no one. They were all dancing inside the mansion behind her. The music was incredibly loud, so screaming for help probably wouldn't do much good, either.

"C'mon, babe, we'll have fun! We can go up in one of the bedrooms and—"

"Not interested." With some difficulty, Sakura managed to turn her head away from the man and somewhat wriggled out of his grip as she made for the door.

"Wait a minute… Hey! Come back here, girlie!" Flustered, the man got up from the couch and made for her as if to grab her arm, when suddenly a fist stopped him mid-way. "That's not necessary." Said a husky voice, "she's with me."

Startled, Sakura turned to see a young man with blood red hair, standing with his back facing the pinkette. He was quite a bit taller than Sakura, and through his upraised arm, Sakura could see the angry goblin man weakly attempting to push him away.

"Mind your own business, man." Said the sloshed man in his somewhat garbled speech.

"Leave. Now." The red-haired man glared at the intoxicated youth. As if deciding that it wasn't worth the effort, the drunk man staggered back into the mansion, grumbling incoherently to himself.

With a sigh, the young man turned around, running a hand through his red locks. "Hey, you okay?" He asked.

Sakura stupidly stared at him, not saying a word. He was quite handsome, with high cheekbones and pale white skin, His jade eyes were outlined with messy black kohl. Strange, Sakura noted, he had no eyebrows. On the right side of his forehead was a tattoo of a kanji symbol, matching the color of his hair. _"Love," _it read. He was wearing a casual dress shirt, which framed his slender body, with a black leather jacket. He wore a pair of dark jeans with black shoes.

"What are you supposed to be?" Sakura suddenly blurted out, realizing a bit too late that she completely ignored his question.

The man let out a soft chuckle, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah… well… I kind of got invited last minute by a friend and he didn't bother telling me that this was a costume party."

Sakura looked at him cynically. "Halloween's tomorrow… shouldn't it be pretty self-explanatory?"

The man casually leaned on the back of the balcony railing, closing his eyes. "Hn. Whatever."

Sakura let out a soft chuckle. "Thanks for saving me from that guy back there," she said, but then declared "but you didn't really need to, I had it all under control anyway."

The man smirked. "Some control that was. From where I was standing, you were looking like a caged animal when that creep came near you."

"W-what?" Sakura spluttered, "I did not! That was my… natural expression!"

A sly grin spread across the young man's face. "Yeah. That's totally believable."

Sakura turned away, trying to be angry but finding herself unable to. She knew if that man didn't intervene when he did, then Sakura would probably have to resort to Hinata's advice, and she didn't want to cause a scene.

'Him being cute is a plus, too, I guess.' She thought absentmindedly.

They began chatting about random topics, bringing up things as trivial as the how nice the weather was, and eventually talking about their own lives in general.

"I'm studying business at Suna University, it's not too far from Konoha," the young man said. "I got invited here by a certain blond-haired idiot who I knew back when we were high-schoolers."

"Sounds like fun! I'm training to be a doctor at Konoha University." Sakura paused thoughtfully, "come to think of it, I know a blonde-haired idiot, too! His name wouldn't be Naruto by any chance, would it?"

"Yeah! Naruto Uzumaki! We were pretty good friends in high school, and still are even though we're in different colleges."

"Wow, small world, huh?" Sakura said with a small smile.

"Yeah," the young man quietly replied.

They had long since left the balcony and were strolling through the backyard garden in a comfortable silence. Most of the leaves had already withered away, but the soft breeze lifted and guided them around through the in a never-ending dance. The soft crunch of fall leaves sounded under the pair's feet. The only source of light was radiating from the moon, and cast a soft light on everything in its path.

Chilly, Sakura pulled her lab coat a little closer around her body. Again, she cursed the skimpy outfit she had been forced to wear. She rubbed her arms, bringing them more close together to keep some of her heat in so her fingers wouldn't fall off.

As she pulled her thin lab coat even closer to her body yet again, she let out a small gasp when she suddenly felt warmth around her shoulders.

There was a large, and incredibly warm, leather jacket draped around her small frame.

She looked up beside her and saw the young man, wearing nothing but his white dress shirt, coolly walking ahead with his hands in his pockets.

"Thanks," she said softly.

The young man gave no indication that he heard her, but moved a little closer to her side after she spoke those words.

She gave herself a small smile. "You know, it's kind of strange," she whispered.

"Hm?"

"It's kind of strange that I'm walking with you, a total stranger, through a garden, with your coat on," Sakura pondered aloud, "I mean, I just met you less than an hour ago. Heck, I don't even know your name!" At this point she abruptly stopped and fixed the red-haired boy with a glare. "You're not some kind of creeper, are you?" She whispered suspiciously.

The red-haired young man stared at her, eyes wide, for a good five seconds or so. Then, he started chuckling at the small girl's query. "Do I actually come across as a predator?" He continued chuckling.

"Hey, it's a serious question!" The pink-haired girl stated indignantly, putting her hands on her hips. "For all I know, this could be some elaborate plan to abduct me and then sacrifice me to fulfill part of some weird ritual or something insane like that!"

The man began laughing loudly, and Sakura couldn't help but allow a small smile to spread across her face. She was enjoying the sound of his laugh.

It sounded… nice.

Soon enough, she began laughing along with him.

* * *

Uhh… hehehehe….

This is so late.

It's been almost two months, and I'm so sorry but just with school starting and everything, it's been hectic.

But I wrote this chapter in literally three days, because I received sudden inspiration to write a Halloween chapter.

So here it is! I know it wasn't scary or anything, but hey, I wasn't about to make Sakura go to a haunted house and then jump into the waiting arms of some beautiful man.

Though Gaara is a beautiful man…. (five gold stars to whoever can guess my favorite character).

I feel like this may have been kind of rushed, but I REALLY wanted to get it up before Halloween. Even though it's tomorrow, but still.

Thank you SO Much for all of your kind reviews, I apologize for the late chapter but you guys truly inspire me.

A lot of you liked Shino last chapter… and he just might appear in the story sometime in the future ;)

Obviously, Neji is Hinata's "mysterious" cousin. He will appear next chapter!

But I can guarantee a quicker posting for the next chapter, I've already gotten quite a bit of it finished.

What are you guys dressed as for Halloween?

By the way—everyone who is directly affected by Hurricane Sandy, I really hope you're all okay! STAY SAFE Y'ALL.

I live in Northeast USA, and we're being bombarded by high winds and tons of rain. The power went out in school today, so we were dismissed early. Hurricane Sandy can do good things too, I guess xD

But yeah, I love you guys, read and review!

Happy Halloween :)


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